Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a £20m bid for Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater ahead of the new Premier League season.
The England international was a key figure in Claudio Ranieri’s success last year, playing a pivotal role in the Foxes midfield to guide them to a title.
However, slow progress in contract talks between Drinkwater and Leicester has led to speculation that Spurs will pounce and make their move, according to The Sun.
It’s added in the report that another ‘major’ Premier League club are keeping tabs on the 26-year-old, but it’s Spurs who are at the forefront of the story with claims that they are ready to make a £20m offer to test the resolve of their domestic rivals.
Leicester have been busy this summer having already signed Jamie Vardy, Ben Chilwell and Andy King to new deals, and it’s more than likely that Drinkwater is next on the list.
However, interest from other top clubs will now make the process a little more difficult, as negotiations over a new £80,000 deal could now take a new twist with the threat that they could lose him altogether.
The Foxes seemingly played a risky game by prioritising Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, while they lost N’Golo Kante to Chelsea despite their best efforts to convince the French midfielder to stay.
In turn, the likes of Drinkwater and Kasper Schmeichel have been made to wait on new deals, and that has opened the door for other interested parties to monitor the situation and make their move.
Given that he has given no indication about being unhappy with the delay, it isn’t expected that Drinkwater will be leaving the King Power Stadium this summer.
With Leicester looking to defend their Premier League crown as well as feature in the Champions League, he will likely be eager to remain with the club and still has two years remaining on his current deal which suggests that there is little rush from either side at this stage.
Nevertheless, that won’t put Spurs off if their interest is genuine, with Mauricio Pochettino looking to continue to strengthen his squad after their third-place finish last year.